The most helpful favourable review

The most helpful critical review

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 starsEaster Greeting
Of course Lewis Carroll's, Henry Holiday's and Joseph Swain's "The Hunting of the Snark" deserves five stars. But without the "Easter Greeting" one star goes. Lewis Carroll made quite some effort to insert that greeting into the already printed 1st edition of the book:

1.0 out of 5 starsAvoid this edition
Avoid this free Kindle edition (ASIN B004TQJKEI) especially if you don't know the poem - every so often there's an extra line in a verse that doesn't rhyme or scan and it took me ages to figure out that they must be the captions for the illustrations which aren't actually there (despite an illustrator being credited).

Of course Lewis Carroll's, Henry Holiday's and Joseph Swain's "The Hunting of the Snark" deserves five stars. But without the "Easter Greeting" one star goes. Lewis Carroll made quite some effort to insert that greeting into the already printed 1st edition of the book:

EASTER GREETING

DEAR CHILD,

Please to fancy, if you can, that you are reading a real letter, from a real friend whom you have seen, and whose voice you can seem to yourself to hear wishing you, as I do now with all my heart, a happy Easter.

Do you know that delicious dreamy feeling when one first wakes on a summer morning, with the twitter of birds in the air, and the fresh breeze coming in at the open window--when, lying lazily with eyes half shut, one sees as in a dream green boughs waving, or waters rippling in a golden light? It is a pleasure very near to sadness, bringing tears to one's eyes like a beautiful picture or poem. And is not that a Mother's gentle hand that undraws your curtains, and a Mother's sweet voice that summons you to rise? To rise and forget, in the bright sunlight, the ugly dreams that frightened you so when all was dark--to rise and enjoy another happy day, first kneeling to thank that unseen Friend, who sends you the beautiful sun?

Are these strange words from a writer of such tales as "Alice"? And is this a strange letter to find in a book of nonsense? It may be so. Some perhaps may blame me for thus mixing together things grave and gay; others may smile and think it odd that any one should speak of solemn things at all, except in church and on a Sunday: but I think--nay, I am sure--that some children will read this gently and lovingly, and in the spirit in which I have written it.

For I do not believe God means us thus to divide life into two halves--to wear a grave face on Sunday, and to think it out-of-place to even so much as mention Him on a week-day. Do you think He cares to see only kneeling figures, and to hear only tones of prayer--and that He does not also love to see the lambs leaping in the sunlight, and to hear the merry voices of the children, as they roll among the hay? Surely their innocent laughter is as sweet in His ears as the grandest anthem that ever rolled up from the "dim religious light" of some solemn cathedral?

And if I have written anything to add to those stores of innocent and healthy amusement that are laid up in books for the children I love so well, it is surely something I may hope to look back upon without shame and sorrow (as how much of life must then be recalled!) when my turn comes to walk through the valley of shadows.

This Easter sun will rise on you, dear child, feeling your "life in every limb," and eager to rush out into the fresh morning air--and many an Easter-day will come and go, before it finds you feeble and gray-headed, creeping wearily out to bask once more in the sunlight--but it is good, even now, to think sometimes of that great morning when the "Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in his wings."

Surely your gladness need not be the less for the thought that you will one day see a brighter dawn than this--when lovelier sights will meet your eyes than any waving trees or rippling waters--when angel-hands shall undraw your curtains, and sweeter tones than ever loving Mother breathed shall wake you to a new and glorious day--and when all the sadness, and the sin, that darkened life on this little earth, shall be forgotten like the dreams of a night that is past!

Avoid this free Kindle edition (ASIN B004TQJKEI) especially if you don't know the poem - every so often there's an extra line in a verse that doesn't rhyme or scan and it took me ages to figure out that they must be the captions for the illustrations which aren't actually there (despite an illustrator being credited).

I must admit that I can't ever remember reading this before, but after watching 'Lewis' last night I thought I would see if there was a free copy on this site. There is another copy also in the kindle popular classics store, but I could only find one review for the kindle version, all the others being cross posted from tree book versions. That review indicated that there were problems with the text, so I decided to download this version instead.

As far as I am aware all of it is here with no problems as such, but of course as I am not familiar with this particular poem, others may pick up on mistakes, etc. I know that there are all sorts of theories and ideas surrounding this poem, including even if it was written for children, but I think that Lewis Carroll himself would have said that if you see something it it, then good, if you don't, then that's just as good as well.

Whether there is some sort of puzzle or other hidden meaning in this, then let people believe it is so, personally I see here a very funny nonsense poem that had me laughing out loud. After all, what is this about?, but a very unusual crew looking for something that they don't really know what it looks like. Improbable, impossible, and highly unlikely, this is a great poem to read.

The hunting of the Snark is a wonderful book, and with childrens poetry its right up there with Dr Suess. If i revealed the plot to you i would never forgive myself, but i am sure, if you, like me, love rhymes from the imagination, then Carroll is one of theose people who can never fail to please. To compare it to Alice's adventures in Wonderland would be unfair, as the dreamlike quality of the Alice books is missing, but not without good reason. Carroll makes you laugh, and he makes you cry, and, in the tradition of the best, this book can also offer soem moments of extreme tenderness. I strongly reccomend that if you like this book, you also take a look at Tim Burton's collection of poems entitled The Melancholy Death Of Oyster Boy. Dont eb put off by the gloomy title, its another masterpiece. I dont want to try to defend The Huntign Of The Snark, because it is a book that needs no defence. It is magnificent. The only advice i would give you is too try to get the copy with the illustrations done by the fabulous king of the gothis literature, Mervyn Peake, as with Carrols writing next to Peakes drawings, this book takes you to another world. And its much better than this one!

This review is from: The Hunting of the Snark: An Agony in Eight Fits (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

One would have thought that it would be impossible for Carroll to rival the beauty and dream-like quality of "Alice in wonderland", yet this poem is much better than the much-acclaimed novel. It propels us into a magical and wonderful world, where we travel, guided by the bell-man, going nowhere in particular, just hunting for the snark. The poem contains good insights into human nature, as for example the final friendship of the two ennemies under a common danger. The style is as usual exquisitely beautiful, full of inner music.

This weird and wonderful poem follows a journey only Lewis Carroll could have concocted. The elaborate drawings of Mervyn Peake serve to bring the whole strange event to life. It merits the five stars through the delicately depicted characters who appear on each page, loping and creeping from Peake's ink-pot. It is a creation from a unique collaboration never again to grace the printed page. Capture it before it disappears in to the mists of lost imaginations.

This review is from: The Hunting of the Snark: An Agony in Eight Fits (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

My Wife bought me this as a present and I have to say, of all the things I have been given this is one of the most precious.Although I read it to myself I am most looking forward to reading it to my Son. It's an ideal length for a short bedtime story but also long enough for you to be able to put some effort into it and create a bit of an atmosphere.It's full of great little characters, each with their own peculiar personality and soul. The poem flows well with great rhythm and gives the reader a chance to disappear for a quarter of an hour or so into Carroll's bizarre little world.I have a 1928 edition of the book and I hope it stays in print for another eighty odd years as well. The Snark contains something for everyone, no matter what the age, a subtle blend of humour, nonsense and poetry at its absolute best.If my house were to catch fire and I had time to only snatch a few things from the flames it would be my Wife and Son, along with a very old, well used copy of a Book of a Thousand Poems and this.

This Kindle edition doesn't do the poem any justice at all.Hardcore fans are more likely to have paper copies anyway.This isn't an illustrated version either.The text is grouped together oddly with the appearance of an - sign at the end of every other sentence.It isn't a very good reflection of the flow or text. Although perhaps ok enough to get the general gist of things it certainly isn't a brilliant copy.

This is a great nonsensical tale that probably will need an annotated version to make sense. Not of the purpose as that is in the title. But of the few words that are real but archaic. In any sense this is a fun read. I want to believe it holds some profound secret other than just a play on words.

"They sought it with Thimbles, they sot it with care;

They threatened its life with forks and hope;

They threatened its life with a railway-share;

They charmed it with smiles and soap."

You will want to re-read "The Hunting of the Snark an Agony, in Eight Fits" (1876) and see with other allegorical nonsense you missed.

'They sought it with thimbles, they sought it with care;They pursued it with forks and hope;They threatened it's life with a railway-share,They charmed it with smiles and soap.

And so the butcher, the baker, the bellman and otter went off on a voyage to hunt down a snark, this maybe a 'nonsense' poem, but certainly the writing is not nonsensical. Lewis shows us again why poetry is the highest form of literature.

Written in rhyming couplets, when read aloud, as all poetry should be, it takes you off on a merry dance and it is difficult not to get carried away with the story, in fact I can see no conceivable reason why you would not want to allow yourself to be carried along like a cork, bobbing in the ocean.

The scene set is that of a group is strange people indeed heading off to hunt the snark, a creature that is difficult to be found, and along the way some classic creatures such as the jabberwock and bandersnatch are encountered, very familiar to anyone that has read Lewis' other books, Alice in wonderland and through the looking glass.

This is a book I will read many times to my children and undoubtedly my childrens' children, as well no doubt my children will read this to their children and we will never tire of the adventures of the hunting of the snark.